Chris Whitlock - Father For 2014

We were raised in a family
with emphasis on our faith, respect for elders, the love of family and
importance of education...

"Congratulations you are the
3rd fastest drug free runner in the world."

My first thought was "April
Fools" until we heard the gunshot and a shout.

I went back to my childhood,
my faith; I said my prayers and counted every bead on my imaginary
rosary.

My mind and heart raced as I
felt like a farm animal waiting for slaughter.

They took 9 hours of my life but an entire
life from three individuals. And my prayers will be with those families
forever.

When I
was told that I was selected as SPORTNDUCK FAV DAD 2014, the first words
out of my mouth were, "why me?" They said, "your story needs to be
told because it is inspiring and courageous and has challenged you to
become the great Dad and Teacher that you are.”

I grew up in a
family with seven siblings and at the age of five our family moved from
San Francisco to a 13 acre farm in Sebastopol, California. I knew at an
early age that I would become an athlete having been inspired by my
father who was a professional boxer in the 1950's. He knocked out many
before he fought the heavy weight champion of the world, Floyd Patterson
and was KO3.

I lived in the
shadow of my father and my all-star older brother Byron who was
personally honored by Willy Mays for his outstanding athleticism. I
remember this moment so vividly because they accidentally called my name
instead of Byron. Little did I know that this event would not be my 10
seconds of fame! We were raised in a family with emphasis on our faith,
respect for elders, the love of family and importance of education.

Track became my
passion and by the age of 21, I was traveling the world with a record of
running the 400m in 44 seconds and the 200m in 20 seconds. And for one
year, I had a contract with Nike! In 1984 I made it to eighth place in
the Olympic Finals. I was chosen to run on US teams in Tokyo, Monte
Carlo and Belfast.

Unfortunately, I
did not make the 1988 Olympic team. I returned to college and soon after
the 1988 games, I received a letter from the US Olympic Committee. It
read, "Congratulations you are the 3rd fastest drug free runner in the
world." Other letters followed identifying the drugs being used by other
athletes and warning that use of performance enhancing drugs would
result in disciplinary measures.

I moved on and
worked with my brother David while in college. After college I found
employment at the Department of Food and Agriculture - bringing me back
to my farming roots. This was around that time I met my beautiful wife
Montha.

Sacramento hostage
crisis - The Largest Hostage Rescue in US History

I was laid off from
my position at the lab on April 4th1991 and was headed for a 1:30
interview in downtown Sacramento. I was running ahead of schedule and
stopped at an electronics store for some supplies. On my way out I
stopped to check out a cool stereo and in the next 30 seconds I saw a
man running toward the back of the store with a mask over his face and a
gun in his hand. My first thought was "April Fools" until we heard the
gunshot and a shout.

A couple with their
2 children and I looked at each other and I told them "they'll rob it
and run." A minute or two went by and we didn't hear anything so we
decided to run for it. As soon as we reached the door we were face to
face with a masked gunman. He waved a gun as we scuttled to the back of
the store. At the time I counted four gunmen and about 38 hostages. I
later learned there were 50 hostages total.

They started by
tying us up in groups and I was part of the last group of 4 men tied up.
They were fearful of the male hostages and as they waved their guns at
us, we would turn to reassure them that we were still tied. We were
extra cautious not to alarm them as we kept a close watch on their every
move. They were young teenagers and were easily agitated. Police and
News crews soon arrived.

My wife was worried
when she saw I wasn't back from my interview, but it was not until the
Oprah show was interrupted to broadcast the hostage crisis that her
worse fears were realized. My sister recognized me as one of the
hostages on national television. The front of the store was visible from
the parking lot and I could see my car. The news crew and police could
see the activity in the store.

I went back to my
childhood, my faith; I said my prayers and counted every bead on my
imaginary rosary. It was strange but I almost felt peace as I faced
death. The gunmen asked for a bullet proof vest and set a deadline for 4
o'clock or they would start killing people. They flipped a coin to
decide who to kill first. All the while negotiations were underway
between the gunmen and law enforcement. As hostages we were used to
communicate their demands often with a gun pointed at our heads.

My mind and heart
raced as I felt like a farm animal waiting for slaughter. A couple
minutes before 4 o’clock, the phone rang. It was the police notifying
them that they were willing to give a bulletproof jacket in exchange for
some of the small children and women. I looked outside and saw my car. I
thought about breaking through the glass and making a run for it but I
could see a SWAT officer posted behind my rear wheel.

The hostage takers
began to move back and forth shooting hostages that were tied down,
fully visible through the glass walls for the news crews and police to
see. After nine hours of this ordeal, a SWAT entry team finally was able
to break in through a back door of the store as the hostage takers
opened fire on them.

The police shot and
killed three of the gunmen and searched for the fourth whom they found
wearing a vest lying on the floor injured but alive. We were rescued and
witnesses to the murder of two employees a customer, 14 injured
hostages, three dead gunmen and the fourth wounded. The surviving gunman
was tried and prosecuted and is now serving consecutive life sentences
at a California state prison. Many of us had to relive this day through
our testimony at his trial. They took 9 hours of my life but an entire
life from three individuals. And my prayers will be with those families
forever.

I was picked up by
my wife and professor and taken to the police dept. for debriefing. It
took months of counseling to recover from that day but the experience
moved me to dedicate my career to help prevent young people from losing
their way as these young men had. They were a part of our school
community.

With my wife's
support, I went back to school and got my teaching credentials and
landed a teaching job. Thanks to the support of my family and friends, I
now have 2 beautiful children in college and a wife that brings me joy
with every passing moment.

My oldest brother
David would always say to me, "Chris, life is simple and that people
want to make it complicated." He was right, the simple was prayer
and calm and the complicated was the hostage takers. In the words of our
beloved Maya Angelou, "I can be changed by what happens to me but I
refused to be reduced by it."

Thank you SPORTNDUCK for your recognition.

Christopher
Whitlock

Chris currently
teaches 5th graders with a unique style, allowing his students to
express themselves fully through interactive teaching methods. His
classroom walls tell their story. And that is why we call him "Top
Teach.”

PS... The
grandchildren of the comeback kid- David Whitlock Sr. continue to excel
in sports and academics. Today the old Good Guys store is a Walmart.